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The Vampire Diaries kicked off the final day of Comic-Con for the first time in Hall H and its first appearance since Nina Dobrev left the show. The show’s creative team and stars took a moment to reflect on Dobrev’s departure, as well as previewed what was to come.

In the emotional season six finale, Elena and Damon had their goodbye dance on the road where they first met, with Elena giving Damon permission to live his life to the fullest until they meet again. The final scene, a flash-forward into the future with Mystic Falls in complete destruction, teased a dark future for The Vampire Diaries.

“It’s just an evolution of the story,” star Ian Somerhalder said of where the show is going. “Stories come, stories go. This is Mystic Falls without Elena Gilbert.”

That’s not to say Elena’s presence won’t be felt – she is, after all, not dead. “She’s just taking a little nap,” Somerhalder jokes.

Elena’s absence will bring the Damon of old back to the fore-front, a point Somerhalder was enthusiastic about.

Paul Wesley said that for the show, which is the second longest-running series on The CW at the moment (behind only Supernatural), changing up the stories at this point in its run can only be a good thing.

“You need a shift in dynamic,” he said, adding that “it created a new world.”

In regards to romance on the show, Stefan and Caroline are in for a wild ride, Plec hinted, saying there will be “a lot of very unexpected twists and turns.”